calumny Definition
cal·umny (kal′əm nē)
noun pl. -·nies
- a false and malicious statement meant to hurt someone's reputation
- the uttering of such a statement; slander
Etymology: Fr calomnie < L calumnia, trickery, slander < IE base *kēl-, *kol-, to deceive, confuse > OE hol, slander
calumny Synonyms
calumny Law Definition
n
A false and malicious
statement about someone that is intended to injure his or her reputation. See
also obloquy, defamation, and
slander.
calumny Usage Examples
Converse of object
- refute: Nor is its purpose simply or solely to refute calumny.
- escape: Be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny.
- speak: Why did you speak calumny of me to Dr. Grantly behind my back?
Adjective modifier
- such: Such calumnies are easy to utter but hard to refute in a foreign country.
- gross: Vetch, min. of Dumfries, answering some gross calumnies in his pamphlet entitled " A short History of Rome's Designs, &c.
- foul: It is a foul calumny that we do today.
- Christian: The Church calling him Gnostic is simply a Christian calumny because the clergy disagreed with him.
- pure: It is pure calumny to say that the Pagans worship their idols in a way any different from this.
Noun used with modifier
base: This was resented as a base calumny by Mu'awiya.

